Béziers (AFP)

The outgoing mayor Robert Ménard (supported by the RN) was re-elected Sunday in the first round in Béziers (Hérault), with 68.7% of the vote, against a background of record abstention (56%), according to official results.

In Béziers, Mr. Ménard faced weak and fragmented opposition. The 66-year-old ultra-right champion far surpassed the LREM (11.5%), PC-PS-PRG (6.1%), EELV-LFI (5.4%), LR lists (4.2%) and a citizen list (4.1%).

"This election is the recognition of six years of work and an observation that Béziers has really changed," reacted Mr. Ménard to AFP on Sunday evening. "Achieving more than 68% in a city of almost 80,000 inhabitants is very rare. It is the fruit of the work of a team serving a city and not of an ideology. The Biterrois recognize themselves in actions I have taken, "he said.

"The low scores of my opponents are a sanction for them because they deny reality," he said. "This score will allow me to make commitments and to respect them as I have done for the past six years. However, this large victory is tarnished by this epidemic which France which I love has to face. It kills, it threatens some and completely upset the economy. Tomorrow I will meet with local players to make sure that we get through this crisis and that it goes well, "he continued.

In 2014, the former president of Reporters Without Borders won the town hall of Béziers with the support of the National Front (FN) thanks to a triangular (46.98% of the votes in the second round and more than 31% d 'abstention).

Since then, it has held the reins of a sub-prefecture of 77,000 inhabitants, which remains marked by extreme poverty (34%) and high unemployment (23.4% according to the latest figures from INSEE).

But the city council boasts that it has improved the security and finances of the city and revives its historic center. His opponents accuse him of having carried out an action "in trompe-l'oeil" and of having given a bad image to the city, in particular through multiple controversies on French Algeria, immigration or security.

The mayor's position was strengthened in 2017 by the election of his wife Emmanuelle, deputy (non-registered, related RN) of the constituency including Béziers.

For the 2020 municipal elections, Mr. Ménard actively worked to "blow up the dyke" between the right and the extreme right in other cities, such as Perpignan or the Hérault port of Sète.

© 2020 AFP